


down to the quick

by ohkeiji



Series: BokuAka Week 2016 [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Angst, Assassin AU, Assassins, BokuAka Week, M/M, Torture, i like to call this one 'suffering', nonbinary kenma if u squint, so yeah warning for violence and swearing, sorta??? it's not super detailed bc im a wimp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 14:05:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8803741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohkeiji/pseuds/ohkeiji
Summary: “Kuroo, I’m going to repeat myself one more time.” Akaashi tried to ignore his rapid heartbeat as he spoke into the headpiece. “What do you mean, Bokuto’s gone?”
(In which Akaashi must go on a mission to save his boyfriend from a rival assassin group.)
(BokuAka Week Day 4: Assassin)





	

**Author's Note:**

> yes all the action scenes are based off of what i've seen in movies please don't bully me
> 
> not proofread/edited (surprise)

“Kuroo, I’m going to repeat myself one more time.” Akaashi tried to ignore his rapid heartbeat as he spoke into the headpiece. “What do you mean, Bokuto’s gone?”

 

He could almost picture the other’s grimace as Kuroo’s grainy voice spoke. “We sent him into Oikawa’s territory, and an hour later he went completely offline, no trace of him anywhere. Kenma’s been trying to find him with no luck.”

 

Akaashi swore, rubbing a hand across his face. “Shit. When did you lose connection?”

 

“An hour and a half ago, but boss didn’t want us to tell you until you finished up your mission.”

 

Akaashi pushed down the urge to hit something, taking in a settling breath as he stood up. He quickly started to disassemble his sniper rifle, packing it away into the case. He had pulled the trigger a minute or so before Kuroo had tried to contact him, but Akaashi wasn’t as rushed as usual, as the streets below him were in complete chaos because of the famous politician that had just been assassinated. Or at least, he hadn’t felt rushed until he heard about Bokuto’s position.

 

After all, he and his boyfriend  _ were _ assassins.

 

“How soon can I go after him?” Akaashi snapped the case shut, picking it up and turning to walk towards the rooftop exit. He was on top of a decently tall building, but he had good aim and the assassination hadn’t been very complicated. He pulled his jacket tighter around him until he reached the metal door, pushing it open and welcoming the wave of heat that greeted the man.

 

“Depends. If you want to, you can probably be in Oikawa’s territory in an hour or so, but if traffic’s bad-- which it probably is, because you just shot a man, so it might be closer to two hours. Also, your ride is two streets to the left once you exit the building, Yaku’s driving a white car.” Kuroo recited the license plate as Akaashi rode the elevator down to the first floor. His shoes clicked softly against the tile floors as the man nodded at the bellboy before opening the front door and stepping out into the mess of the streets.

 

_ This can’t be good. _ Akaashi didn’t respond to Kuroo, too focused on not getting crushed by the large crowds trying to run away from the scene of the politician's death.  _ At this rate, it will be an hour and a half until I’m back at headquarters, and if Bokuto has been taken by Oikawa… He probably wouldn’t be killed, Oikawa’s group needs all the information they need about us. _

 

Akaashi’s stomach dropped as anxiety and worry flooded through him. The last time someone had been taken by the rival assassin group for information, it hadn’t been pretty. They barely managed to get Inuoka out, and the poor kid hadn’t really been the same since then. 

 

Akaashi didn’t want that to happen to Bokuto.

 

He caught sight of Yaku looking out the window of the car, cigarette in hand as he blew smoke from his mouth. He was parked at the side of the street and looked flat-out bored. Akaashi nodded at the driver, slipping into the backseat and pulling out his phone. He scrolled idly through his emails and messages as Yaku pulled out of the parking spot and tried to make his way out of town.

 

It took them ninety minutes to make it to headquarters, which was actually just a warehouse disguised as a soy sauce storage area. By the time he had entered the building, Akaashi’s nails were bitten to the quick and throbbing slightly-- they also may have been bleeding, but the assassin ignored it as he dropped his suitcase by his office and made his way to Kuroo’s office.

 

Kuroo’s office was technically Kenma’s office, but over time Kuroo had pretty much moved in and shared with Kenma, his partner. Kenma didn’t complain (much), and no one was bothered by it, so everyone just let them be.

 

Both Kuroo and Kenma were rapidly typing on their computers, large headphones over Kenma’s ears as they mumbled quietly to themself. Kuroo stilled as he heard the door open, and turned in his swivel chair and met Akaashi’s gaze.

 

“Fill me in.” Akaashi stated, pokerface in place to hide his growing worry and concern for Bokuto. He cursed the slight tremble of his hands, and laced his fingers together in his lap as he sat in an empty swivel chair.

 

“We can send you into Oikawa’s place in the next forty minutes, max. Kenma’s trying to find some blueprints, and we’re presuming Bo’s somewhere underground, if he’s not dead.” Kuroo broke eye contact to look to the side, his leg bouncing rapidly up and down. Akaashi bit the inside of his cheek before letting out a heavy breath.

 

“Hey.” Kenma pushed the headphone off their ears, turning slightly in their chair to face the two men. Their face was pale, and Kenma hunched their shoulder slightly as they continued. “I got something.”

 

“What is it?” Akaashi questioned. Kenma waved a hand before turning back to their computer, clicking a few times as both Akaashi and Kuroo stood to look at the screen. Kuroo inhaled sharply, and the other man simply stared blankly.

 

It was a picture. It was mildly unfocused and incredibly dim, but Akaashi could still make out a head of black and white hair, and blood. A lot of blood.

 

“Shit, Kenma, zoom in there.” Kuroo pointed at the one well-lit area of the picture, and with a few more clicks Akaashi could make out what looked like a message.

 

“Of course Oikawa would do something so gaudy.” Kuroo muttered. Akaashi ignored his friend’s words, trying to make out the message.

 

“You have until ten tonight.” Kenma spoke slowly as they made out the words.

 

“And they wrote it in blood.” Akaashi fought back the nausea crawling up the back of his neck. “Not hard to say it’s probably Bokuto’s blood, too.” He shook his head before addressing Kuroo. “What time is i-”

 

“Three hours, Akaashi.” Placing a hand on his shoulder, Kuroo stared at Akaashi. “That’s the time we have to get Bo out of there.”

 

Akaashi nodded. “I’ll go in, but I’ll need backup.”

 

“Don’t you need to tell the boss?” Kenma questioned, turning back to their desktop and sending the picture to both Kuroo and Akaashi.

 

“I’ll fill him in after I get some backup for Akaashi.” Kuroo spun in his chair, copying his partner as he started to type quickly. “I’ll deal with it once we get Bo back.”

 

Akaashi swallowed back the worry-- with this team, he’d get Bokuto back. He’d have to.

 

-

 

Oikawa’s headquarters was quite different than Akaashi’s. The assassin stood across the street from a high-class hotel, lips pursed and arms crossed across his chest. The night was brisk, and only getting colder as time ticked by. 

 

“Since this is actually a functioning hotel, you should be able to go in without any disruptions. You know what the team looks like, avoid them at all costs,” Kuroo paused to take a breath, “don’t be afraid to hurt them.”

 

Akaashi didn’t respond. He fixed his posture, straightening up before crossing the busy street and entering  _ Hospitality Hotel-- Japan’s Finest. _

 

The lobby contained a few people, all of who Akaashi ignored as he walked up to the front desk. A tan man with a buzz cut was sitting there, and he smiled brightly. “How may I help you?”

 

“Do you have a restroom I can use?” Akaashi asked evenly, smiling politely as the man pointed him towards the back of the lobby. The assassin nodded and thanked the man before walking away. 

 

The restrooms were right beside the elevators, and the curly-haired man easily stepped onto one of the six, which was empty. He wasn’t trying too hard to remain stealthy.  _ They know I’m coming, _ he mused as he pressed the button for the basement.  _ It’s not like I’m going to let them hurt Bokuto.  _

 

The elevator doors opened to reveal a young man with seemingly perfect light brown hair and similar colored eyes. Those were all the details Akaashi took in before the man was pointing a gun at his chest.

 

_ Okay, maybe some stealth would have been ideal. _ Akaashi and the stranger made eye contact before the brunette smiled politely.

 

“Oikawa!” He yelled loudly, making Akaashi jump slightly in place. “He’s here!”

 

“Can you be quiet?” Another man came around a corner, this one with short cropped blonde hair with stripes along the side. It looked like he had slept in heavily drawn-on eyeliner as it was smeared all underneath his eyes. “Not all of us-- hey, why don’t you just shoot him?” The second man snarled at Akaashi, who simply stared back blankly before looking back at the one with the gun.

 

“I dunno, Oikawa wants him alive, dumbass.” The two men bickered back and forth as Akaashi’s heartbeat sped up rapidly. He kept his hands by his sides, keeping watch for a moment of vulnerability and--  _ There.  _

 

The brunette had turned his head to glare at the other man, and Akaashi kicked his leg up, effectively knocking the gun from the other’s hands. The man let out a startled shout as Akaashi shot forward, jamming the heel of his hand under his chin and smacking upwards. He stumbled and fell as the man with eyeliner charged at Akaashi, eyes lit up with rage.

 

Akaashi ducked as the man swung carelessly, and he knew what he was up against. He had fought hand to hand before with people who simply acted on emotions, not strategies, and they were simple enough to take down.

 

The man kept punching as Akaashi dodged time and time again. He reached up into his sleeve and felt the handle of a knife, and when the angry one slipped up and made an opening, Akaashi drove the blade between his ribs.

 

The man stumbled but didn’t fall, and Akaashi couldn’t hide his shock-- how could this man still stand with a knife in his ribs?

 

Not letting his surprise stun him, Akaashi darted forwards, shoving the weapon further into the man. The force made buzzcut fall onto the other brunette, and he merely grunted as the two landed on the ground.

 

Akaashi took this opportunity to  _ get the hell out of there. _

 

He sprinted away, ignoring the swears from the pair behind him as he quickly turned left. His brain suddenly processed Kuroo’s rambling in his ear, and he calmed down enough to slow down his pace and focus.

 

“-- turn left, no, no Akaashi don’t stop! Keep moving, go straight then turn left!” Kuroo’s urgent tone made Akaashi start to move quickly again. “Kenma’s managed to hack into some of the cameras, so we can see a bit, now go to the third door on the left, let me see if we can get the passcode…”

 

Kuroo’s voice faded out and Akaashi faced the door, fingers hovering over the keypad. He was surprised by the lack of people in the halls, and hoped he’d keep getting lucky.

 

“0610 is the password, but we can’t see much further than the first few feet of hallway in front of you.” Akaashi typed in the passcode and heard the tell-tale click of the door unlocking. “Good luck.”

 

Akaashi pushed open the door and was immediately shot in the left arm. 

 

He bit on his cheek, muffling his noise and ducking behind the door back out into the hallway as more bullets were fired. He gripped his injured arm tightly, letting a strained exhale as blood dripped from his wound. 

 

_ Bokuto wouldn’t let this stop him _ . With that thought, Akaashi wiped his right hand on his pants, ignored the throbbing pain of his left arm, and grabbed the gun from under his shirt. He peeked around the doorframe, aiming the gun into the dimly lit area and immediately firing when he saw movement from behind a crate. There was a dull thud and someone swore-- taking advantage of the distraction, Akaashi crept into the room, holding his breath. He fired his gun again when he saw more movement, confident in his aim despite his injury.

 

He didn’t realize the two men from earlier had caught up until he was whacked in the back of the head, the blunt force knocking him unconscious. 

 

-

 

“Keiji!” A hushed voice using his given name was the pushing point, bringing Akaashi back to consciousness. He shifted and immediately regretted it as multiple parts of him throbbed in agony.

 

A quiet groan left his lips, and the other person let out a relieved sigh. Akaashi gradually opened his eyes, thankful for the dim lighting in the room. He blinked as he made out a figure next to him, but when he tried to move to get a better look, he found himself restrained.

 

“What the…” Akaashi muttered. The other person managed a weak laugh.

 

“Yeah, I think Oikawa gets his ideas from bad action films. What is this, James Bond?” Akaashi was tied to a chair, and so was the other person. “Fuck, I wish I could actually see your face--”

 

“Koutarou?” Akaashi blamed the pain for why it had taken him so long to figure out who was next to him. 

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You’re… you’re alive?” Akaashi could nearly forget about the horrible scenario he was in-- his boyfriend was okay.

 

“Not sure for how much longer, though.”  _ Then _ the reality of the situation hit Akaashi: he and Bokuto had both been captured by the enemy. Not to mention, the enemy was  _ Oikawa’s group _ .

 

“Fuck.” Akaashi whispered. He heard more than saw Bokuto nod, and had to fight back panic. If Bokuto couldn’t get out of this, there was no way in hell Akaashi could either. His specialty was sniping for a reason.

 

“Keiji, are you alright?” Bokuto’s was soft, too soft. 

 

The other man could only squeeze out a quick, “Not sure,” before he had to shut his mouth. He knew the risks of his job-- he was an assassin, for God’s sake. Not the safest job out there.

 

But usually when he got into a tough spot, Bokuto was there. But was was he supposed to do when the one who does the saving needs saving himself?

 

“Hey.” Akaashi glanced in the direction of his partner, seeing the glint of gold eyes. “Look, this scary, I get that.” Bokuto paused. “But I lo-”

 

“Yahoo!” A door slammed open, flooding the room with light, and Akaashi flinched at the abruptness of it. He had to wait a moment for his eyes to adjust, but once they did he wished he could have been in the dark again.

 

Oikawa smiled brightly at the beaten men in front of him, clapping his hands together excitedly. “I haven’t had this much fun in  _ ages _ ! Though, it is a bit of a bummer that he won’t talk…” He gestured towards Bokuto who simply scowled in response.

 

“C’mon, Shittykawa, we have a job.” Another man stepped into the room, knocking Oikawa on the back of his head. The brunette stumbled and let out a complaint, which the second man ignored as his eyes landed on Akaashi. The curly haired man immediately looked down, not daring to look Hajime Iwaizumi in the eyes.

 

Akaashi had met a plethora of scary people in his years on the planet, but none scared him quite as much as Iwaizumi. He had never even met him before, but he could recognize him easily enough. The spiky hair was enough to give it away. Iwaizumi was known for his extremely painful methods to get people to talk-- he was ruthless.

 

“Hmm, I guess you’re right.” Oikawa pulled a face at his companion. Quick, he stepped forward while pulling a gun from behind him, pressing it to Akaashi’s face. Akaashi flinched at the sudden coolness of the metal and sucked in a breath, still looking downwards as his heartbeat skyrocketed. 

 

He was going to die tonight, and he couldn’t do a thing about it.

 

“So, Akaashi Keiji.” Oikawa was practically purring as he jabbed the gun further into the prisoner’s face. “I have some questions, some questions I would love to have answered.  But if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine! I have some encouragement that should make you talk.”

 

Sweat dripped from his brow as Akaashi looked up, stone faced.

 

“So, first off,” the cheery smile dropped from Oikawa’s face, “how the hell did you find us?”

 

Unsurprisingly, Akaashi didn’t answer. Oikawa rolled his eyes and waved Iwaizumi over. The man let out a sigh, like he couldn’t be bothered to be here, before he popped his knuckles and promptly punched Akaashi in the face.

 

And  _ wow, that man was strong. _ Akaashi’s head jerked to the side from the force, and he squeezed his eyes shut as his cheek throbbed.

 

“Let’s try again--” Grabbing the collar of his shirt, Oikawa pulled Akaashi towards him, the back legs of the chair lifting up off the ground. “How did you find us?” His face darkened, serious and intent. The other could barely recognize the brunette who had been cheerily smiling only moments beforehand.

 

Akaashi didn’t want to get punched again-- and he knew that was only mild “encouragement.” The man didn’t like pain, he didn’t like the way his cheek was throbbing and his arm was still searing, he didn’t like the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

 

But he had made a promise, a promise to his organization when he had joined: don’t ever, ever speak about the organization, no matter what’s happening. Not to mention, Akaashi didn’t want to put Kuroo or Kenma, didn’t want to put his friends in any more danger than they were already in. 

 

But when he was stabbed in the stomach, it still hurt like a  _ motherfucker _ .

 

“Keiji!” Bokuto blurted, straining against the ropes holding him in place. Akaashi shot him a look, shaking his head-- no, he refused to put his boyfriend in danger.

 

“Ohohoh?” Oikawa quirked an eyebrow, a wicked grin playing on his lips. “Iwa-chan--”

 

“I know.” The man frowned, looking like he had come to a conclusion he wasn’t happy with. He pulled the knife out of Akaashi’s stomach, making the man let out a pained groaned that he tried to hide behind gritted teeth. 

 

He caught a glance of Bokuto and immediately regretted looking to him-- he looked heart-broken, and was staring at Akaashi helplessly. Akaashi sucked in a quick breath, squeezing his eyes shut.  _ Better me than him, better me than him-- _

 

The second time the knife hit him, Akaashi tensed but still refused to answer the question. He felt more than saw the blood soaking through his clothes, and the searing pain made his hands twitch at his sides.

 

“Stop hurting him!” Bokuto’s words sounded off, but Akaashi couldn’t quite but his finger on it. He felt like he was under water, with chlorine burning his eyes and blurring his vision when he tried to open his eyes.

 

_ So that’s what they’re doing,  _ Akaashi realized.  _ They’re hurting me to make Bokuto talk. _ And that hurt more than he thought it would-- Akaashi didn’t want to be the reason his organization was destroyed by their enemies.

 

If he was underwater, his injuries were air-- with every new wound came an overwhelming surge of all his senses being set on fire, where for a split second he could see Bokuto’s stricken expression, hear his agonized shouts (he wasn’t sure if it was him or his partner screaming, though), could taste blood, and could feel every inch of his body.

 

He was faintly aware that he should be more afraid, that maybe he should be panicking and trying to figure out  _ how the fuck to get out of this situation _ but when things were murky, they weren’t half bad, and if he concentrated hard enough, Akaashi could even ignore the stab marks we was sporting.

 

But suddenly there were shouts, more shouts than before, and a loud sound-- a really, really loud one that made Akaashi jump. He recognized the sound as a gunshot right as he realized he felt a horrible pain, one that made him cry out and sob.

 

Things blurred in and out of focus. There were more shouts and shrieks, another gunshot, and rope burning his arms as he was untied. Someone was breathing raggedly, and Akaashi realized with a jolt that it was him.

 

“Keiji! Keiji, look at me, babe, stay with me, c’mon, Keiji!” Akaashi’s eyes finally focused on Bokuto, who was in tears as he sat on the cold concrete floor, Akaashi in his lap.

 

“Hurts.” Akaashi rested his head on Bokuto’s shoulder. It was like there was cotton in his lungs-- when he tried to breath, it was like he wasn’t actually taking in any oxygen. He coughed, and regretted it right afterwards as black spotted on the edges of his vision.

 

“Keiji, hey, hey, you’re good, you’re alright, help is coming, backup came and saved us, c’mon, keep your eyes open, Keiji…” Bokuto rambled on as Akaashi blinked slowly. Using all of his willpower, he lifted a bloody hand and grabbed onto his partner’s, though his grip was weak.

 

“Koutarou…” Akaashi lolled his head back so he could see Bokuto’s face. He tried to take it all in-- the slight stubble, the bruises and cuts, the way his hair was slowly falling down as the gel softened, and the wide, panicked eyes that flickered everywhere until the two men finally made eye contact.

 

Akaashi managed a faint smile. “It’s okay.” His words were slurred together. He was surprisingly at peace, despite being on death’s door. In fact, Bokuto looked more afraid. “I’m happy it was… it was me and not you.”

 

“Keiji, no, please,” Bokuto was crying now, and he sniffled furiously as he held Akaashi’s hand tightly. “Please, stay with me, please don’t go just stay with me Keiji okay? Please just keep holding on, for me please, I love you you can’t--” Bokuto’s body shook with the force of his sobs and he clung to Akaashi.

 

Akaashi’s vision was blurry in and out of focus, and he struggled to hold on. He was audibly wheezing at this point, his breaths coming short and fast, but it was getting increasingly more difficult to stay conscious as the seconds passed by and his vision got more and more spotty.

 

“Kou… Koutarou.” The words hurt, they hurt to get out, they hurt perhaps even more than the bullet in his chest. “I love… you, I’m sorry… Please be… Be okay…” He had to pause between phrases to inhale weakly, and he was trembling all over as he finished speaking.

 

Bokuto might have been saying something, or maybe he was just crying; Akaashi wasn’t sure. His already loose grip slackened entirely, and his hand fell limp into his lap. 

 

He stared blankly at the ceiling, eyes unseeing as blood continued to stain his shirt. Bokuto muffled his sobs as he gently ran a hand over Akaashi’s cheek. A tear fell on the soft skin, and Bokuto had to look away as Akaashi’s head rolled to face the other way.

**Author's Note:**

> this is late i know and im sorry 
> 
> also i'm not confident in this at all im sorry if this is bad ahh ^^ i really really hope none of the characters were ooc hhhhh
> 
> but i'll try to post day 5 tonight? maybe?


End file.
